Our Beliefs

Who we are:

The Unitarian Church of Norfolk is a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association: https://www.uua.org/. Our beliefs are diverse and inclusive. We have no shared creed. Our shared covenant (our seven Principles) supports “the free and responsible search for truth and meaning.”

Although Unitarianism and Universalism began as mainline Christian traditions, this responsible search has led us to an inclusive spirituality drawn from six sources: from scriptural wisdom to personal experience to modern day heroes.

We stand for diversity:

Members of Unitarian Universalist congregations have formed personal theologies based on their own backgrounds, social situations, and understandings of the world. We think for ourselves, and reflect together, about important questions:

We are united in our broad and inclusive outlook, and in our values, as expressed in our seven Principles. We are united in shared experience: our open and stirring worship services, religious education, and rites of passage; our work for social justice; our quest to include the marginalized; our expressions of love.

We believe in marriage equality:

At UCN, we believe in marriage equality for the LGBTQ community. Long before the recent court battles, Unitarian Universalist congregations and clergy recognized and celebrated same-sex marriages within our faith tradition.

Since 1973, when the Office of Gay Affairs (now Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Ministries) was established, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) made an institutional commitment to full equality for bisexual, gay, lesbian, transgender, and queer-identified people.

In 2004, UUA staff member, Hillary Goodridge was the lead plaintiff in the Massachusetts marriage case (Goodridge vs the Dept of Public Health: Legal at Last) which paved the way for marriage equality in other states. The UUA has filed court cases, joined amicus curiae briefs, written, petitioned, visited, and called legislators, made 1-on-1 visits with friends, family members, and strangers, staffed phone banks, held press conferences, conducted worship services, and everything else needed to make marriage equality a reality throughout the United States.